


Crystal's Easy Guide to Mando'a Grammar

by Crystalshard



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Gen, Mandalorian Grammar, Mando'a Grammar, Not a fic, Spelling & Grammar, grammar guide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:40:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25097779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crystalshard/pseuds/Crystalshard
Summary: What would the Mando'a word for 'cousin' be? What's the plural of ad'ika? What happened to the verb 'to be' in Mando'a?Not sure of the correct grammar for a Mandalorian character? In this simplified guide, you can find answers to these questions and more.
Comments: 17
Kudos: 68





	Crystal's Easy Guide to Mando'a Grammar

**Author's Note:**

> As mentioned, this is a simplified guide. Please do check out the links I've added in, and if you have any questions, I'll do my best to help you.

Crystal's Easy Guide to Mando'a Grammar

We've all seen the [Wookiepedia entry](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mando%27a/Legends) on the Mandalorian language. There's some great information in there, but picking it out does take a bit of scanning through the text. So, for ease of reference, here's Crystal's Easy Guide to Mando'a Grammar. 

(With additional thanks to [The Total Guide to Mandalorian Language](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VOJ6M70ehNWiV4dnDfYconG5AIwRxNX3FQNfV2Ij0b0/edit#gid=429520740) and [Mando'a.org](http://mandoa.org/).) 

Plurals

Plurals are easy. With a couple of exceptions. 

After a consonant: add _e_ or _'e_ to the end of the word, either is acceptable. For example, _vode_ or _vod'e_ (brothers). 

After a vowel: add _se_ or _'se_ , for example _jetiise_ (Jedi, plural). 

Known Exceptions: _ad'ika_ (little child) becomes _adike_ (little children) in the plural. Similarly, _gett_ (nut) becomes _gett'se_ in the plural. Others may exist, check the dictionary first. 

Note: Historically, plurals used a the suffix _-a_ rather than the suffix _-e_. This has fallen out of fashion and is seen as archaic (in a similar fashion to how 'thee' and 'thou' has dropped out of usage in English). However, is still present in some Mandalorian songs and poems, such as _Dha Werda Verda_ (Warriors of the Shadow). 

Negatives

Mando'a has two forms of presenting a negative, just like English does. For example, you might say you are **un** able to perform a certain action. You can **not** do it. 

The most common usage is a prefix of _n'_ (for anything that starts with a vowel), _nu_ , or _ne_. This is the equivalent of 'not' in English. 

For example, the Mando'a word for civilian, _neverd_ , literally means 'not soldier' ( _ne_ and _verd_ ). Or _nu'amyc_ , or normal, translates directly as 'not changing'. 

Alternatively, some negatives are preceded by _dar_ \- no longer. For example, 'separate' or 'apart' (of people) is _dar'tome_ in Mando'a - which translates as 'no longer together'. 

If you're not sure what to use, think about what the implication is. Is the thing you are describing an opposite, or is it a thing that has stopped being what it was? For example, 'naked' translates as _nukut'la_ (no clothing), but exiled/banished is _dar'vod_ \- no longer a sibling. 

Verbs (THIS IS IMPORTANT) 

Mando'a verbs only have two forms. The infinitive, and the command - or, to put it simply, the word on its own, and the version that goes with a person doing something. 

Mando'a verbs end in _-ir, -ar, -ur, -or,_ and _-er._ To produce the command form, or stem, just remove the "r" at the end.

For example, 'walk' and 'I walk' would be _kemir_ and _ni kemi_. _Ni kemir_ would be incorrect. 

When using the verb stem, the pronunciation changes so that the inflection is on the ending vowel. 

Verbing the noun

So, now you've got the hang of verbs, let's turn some nouns into verbs. 

In order to turn a noun which ends in a consonant into a verb, you need to add a vowel and the suffix _-r_. 

If the noun ends in a vowel, just add the _-r_.

For example, if we turn the noun _nuhoy_ (sleep) into a verb, it becomes _nuhoyir_. Thus, 'I sleep' would translate into Mando'a as _ni nuhoyi._

Adjectives and adverbs

Or, modifiers and how to use them. 

Any noun you'd add a modifier to, such as -ing, -y, -ed, -ine, -ish, -ous, etc. can be covered by adding _-yc_ (usually pronounced 'eesh') or _-la_ to the end of it. Which one you use is up to you, but certain words are more commonly paired with one specific ending. 

For example, the word _di'kut_ (idiot) can be turned into _di'kutla_ (idiotic). Similarly, _duumir_ (to allow) would be cut back to its noun form _duum_ , and then _-yc_ added to produce _duumyc_ (allowed or permitted). 

Past and future tenses

Past and future tenses are rarely used, given the very limited use of passive voice in Mando'a grammar, but if you need them? Just add the following prefixes. 

_ru_ \- past

 _ven_ \- future

For example, 'I walked' would be _Ni rukemi_ (or _ni ru'kemi_ if you want to emphasise the pronunciation). 

Commands

If you want to turn something into an order, add _k'_ or _ke_ at the beginning. 

For example, to make _olar_ (here) into 'Come here!', it becomes _K'olar!_

Similarly, _K'oyacyi!_ (stay alive!) 

Or, to turn _motir_ (stand) into 'Stay still!', then we need to strip off the verb ending of _ir_ , leaving us with the noun _mot_ , and then add _ke_ to give us _Ke'mot!_

Questions

Interrogative phrases in Mando'a all begin with the same word - _Tion_. This one word can be used as the basis for questions involving who, why, what, when, where, and how, depending on context. 

In simple form, it could be used as _Tion'cuy?_ ('Who is?' or colloquially 'Who goes there?') 

Or it can be used to turn a statement from a declaration into a question - "You are a warrior," would translate to _"Gar'verd,"_ , but, "Are you a warrior?" would change to _"Tion gar'verd?"_

Comparatives/superlatives

Better and best is easy with Mando'a. 

If you're comparing something - if you're saying that one thing is better than another - then you add the suffix _-shy'a_ to the adjective. 

For example, the word for 'dark' is _dha_. To make 'darker', you add the suffix to make _dhashy'a_. 

Or, if you're saying something is the most it can be, you add the suffix _-ne_. Note that with adjectives that end in vowels, sometimes you do away with the vowel. Thus, 'darkest' would be _dha'ne_ , but 'best' (made from _jate_ , good) would be _jatne_. 

Big and Little

To make a noun 'big' or 'little', you'll need to use the following prefixes:

 _ori_ \- big

 _kih_ \- little/small

For example, _ori'vod_ would be 'big brother'.

The following suffix can also be used, but be careful in more formal settings.

 _'ika_ \- affectionate diminutive.

For example, _ad'ika_ translates to something along the lines of 'kid' or 'kidlet', while _kih'ad_ would be 'small child'. Since Mandalorians tend to be very attached to children, _ad'ika_ is what they'd most commonly use. 

See also _cyar'ika_ , which translates most literally to 'loveling' if we take _cyare_ as 'beloved'. Colloquially, _cyar'ika_ can substitute for any number of affectionate diminutives, such as 'darling' or 'sweetheart'.

Gender in Mando'a

Doesn't exist except in very rare circumstances. 

Brother? _Vod._  
Sister? _Vod._  
Sibling of other or indeterminate gender? _Vod._

He? _Kaysh._  
She? _Kaysh._  
They (singular)? _Kaysh._

Son? _Ad._  
Daughter? _Ad._  
Child? _Ad._

For those of us who know languages which have gendered nouns, Mando'a does away with that too. Nouns are neutral. 

Mando'a sentence structure (or, ditch the verb 'to be' and the word 'the')

Mando'a is a language for warriors, and derives heavily from the battlefield. And, in a fight, you need to save as much time as possible. That carries over to their speech - for example, "Move your ass!" is distilled down to _nar'sheb_ \- literally, move ass. 

Mostly, Mando'a has done away with the verb 'to be' and many definite/indefinite articles such as 'the', 'a', and 'an'. 

For example, if you were to say, "The child carries a sword," that would translate directly to _"Te ad juri kad."_ Note that even here, the indefinite article 'a' has disappeared. 

Saying it in full is considered archaic, and it would frequently be cut down to _"Ad juri kad,"_ \- which is still formal - or the more common contraction of _"Ad jur'kad."_ Dropping a terminal vowel when conjugating is quite common in modern Mando'a, and even more so in Mandalorian poetry and song. 

_Nar'sheb_ , above, is contracted from the verb _nari_ (move) and the noun _sheb_ (rear or ass). 

Adding up the words

Mando'a is what's called an 'agglutinative language', meaning that if a word doesn't exist, you can add one together from existing vocabulary. For example, the Mando'a word for 'Sith' comes from adding _dar_ (no longer) to _jetii_ (Jedi). _Darjetii_ = No longer a Jedi = Sith. 

This means that if you need a word - like 'niece' or 'nephew' - that doesn't have a direct translation in any of the dictionaries - you can put one together. (Yes, The Total Guide to Mandalorian Language does have one, but given Mando'a grammar, _ba'ad_ or _bu'ad_ should mean grandchild.) 

So, your niece or nephew is the child of your sibling. A bit of searching the dictionary gives us _vod_ for sibling, and _ad_ for child. Put those two together, and we have _vod'ad_. 

Success! We now have a word for niece/nephew. 

Similarly, we can also determine that _bavodu'ad_ means 'cousin' - or, to break it down, child ( _ad_ ) of uncle/aunt ( _ba'vodu_ ).

Useful short words

_a, a', al_ \- but (al before a vowel)  
_akay, 'kay_ \- until, 'til  
_an_ \- all  
_bal_ \- and  
_be_ \- of  
_bic_ \- it (generic)  
_bid . . . ibac_ \- as (so) . . . as that (eg. "Bid dush ibac," or, "As bad as that/it's that bad.")  
_cuun_ \- our  
_de_ \- by  
_elek, 'lek_ \- yes, yeah  
_gar_ \- you/your, both singular and plural  
_kaysh_ \- he, him, his, she, her, hers, they, theirs (singular 'they')  
_meh_ \- if  
_mhi_ \- us, we  
_nayc_ \- no  
_ner_ \- my, mine  
_ni_ \- I, me  
_par_ \- for  
_ra_ \- or  
_sa_ \- as, like (comparative)  
_sha, shal_ \- at (shal before vowel)  
_su_ \- still, yet  
_te_ \- the, rarely used  
_val_ \- they, theirs (plural 'they')

Useful phrases

_Aliit ori'shya tal'din_ \- family is more than blood(line)

 _Cin vhetin_ \- fresh start, clean slate - lit. white field, virgin snow - term indicating the erasing of a person's past when they become Mandalorian, and that they will only be judged by what they do from that point onwards.

 _Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod?_ \- Are you looking for a smack in the face, mate?

 _Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la_ \- Nobody cares who your parent was, only the parent you'll be (lit: Bloodline is not important, but you as a parent are the most valuable thing.)

 _Haatyc or'arue jate'shya ori'sol aru'ike nuhaatyc_ \- Better one big enemy that you can see than many small ones that you can't. (Mandalorian proverb.)

 _Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur_ \- Today is a good day for someone else to die - Mando saying

 _Kaysh meg miit'gaana, oyacyi_ \- Who writes, remains

 _Ke'tayli gar kad o'r dalab_ \- Keep your blade in [your] scabbard, colloquially, "Keep it in your pants."

 _K'oyacyi!_ \- *Cheers!* 2. Can also mean: *Hang in there* or 3. *Come back safely.* Literally, a command; *Stay alive!*

 _N'eparavu takisit_ \- sorry (lit. I eat my insult)

 _Ni ceta_ \- very sorry (lit. I kneel)

 _Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum_ \- literal translation, "I (hold in my heart/know) you forever," colloquial translation: "I love you." Note that the (hold in my heart/know / _kar'tayli_ ) section is presented in verb form, as it follows _ni_ (I, me) and is therefore an action. 

_Ni kar'tayli gai sa'ad_ \- adoption vow - lit. I know your name as my child

 _Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum_ \- I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal - daily remembrance of those passed on, followed by repetition of loved ones' names.

 _Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la_ \- Not gone, merely marching far away. (Tribute to a dead comrade.)

And many more can be found [here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VOJ6M70ehNWiV4dnDfYconG5AIwRxNX3FQNfV2Ij0b0/edit#gid=1754236036).

So, there you have it! Thanks for sticking with me, I hope this will be useful to you in your future battles with Mando'a grammar. 

_Oya!_


End file.
